A fundamental shift is occurring in the relationship between the media and the public because of citizen journalists equipped with camera phones, digital cameras and computers, the BBC global news division chief said according to a report in The Boston Globe.

Speaking at an Oct. 6 conference in New York, the BBC’s Richard Sambrook told those in attendance that using video from the public has signaled that the British Broadcast Corp. is transforming from a broadcaster to a news facilitator.

Sambrook pointed to July 7 as a turning point when citizens provided photos and video in the aftermath of the London subway bombings.